Fur loss robo hamster

[Jaimie28]

Hi. My robo cookie is now 1 year old and he has been suffering from fur loss at the bun area for around 2 months. At first I thought it was just molting as there is a line of demarcation noted between the upper body and lower body. But lately I noticed that there are patches of fur loss noted. Would really appreciate if someone could help

[racinghamster]

Hi jaimie28, welcome. He`s not an old hamster but I can see that his fur in general looks a little greasy and thing in areas. A few questions for you:

1. What is his diet/food mix?
2. Do you clean him out a lot?
3. Does he have a sand bath?
4. Does he live alone?

Roborovski hamsters can get hair thinning/fur loss sometimes due to hormonal changes or internal issues that are not apparent except for the visual signs. If Cookie is lively, eating well and not scratching to excess, then I would suggest it`s something genetic, or he could have a contact allergy to something but if the hair loss has been gradual and nothing has changed in his environment, it`s difficult to actually say why this happens. It looks worse to us, but apart from that, the hamster isn`t affected by pain or irritation.

It might be worth seeing a local vet if you are concerned and want him checked over. Has he lost weight at all? have you noticed his body condition becoming smaller or thinner since you have owned him?

[Jaimie28]

Hi thanks for replying. His diet consist of mixture of sunflower seeds and grains. We took out the corns as I researched that eating too mch might coz diabetes. We clean him up every week including washing the toys and house. He has sand bath, we are using chinchilla sand. But recently we changed the bedding to a scented wood shavings. Wonder whether it's related to that. He is living alone. He looks more or less the same size like how he used to be and he's active. Frequency of scratching looks the same as before , I mean he does scratch but not too often.

[racinghamster]

Hi Jamie, thanks for updating. I`ve picked up on a few things that you must/might want to change.

1. Firstly, REMOVE the scented shavings! Sorry for the big capitals but this is quite important. Scented wood shavings will give off a very strong aroma and contain phenols and oils that can harm a small hamster. These can be lavender, lemon or something similar. It should say what that is on the bag.

Alternatives: Depending on where you are in the world, you can use a better, safer substrate. Fitch in the UK is one of the best cage coverings and it`s very safe. It`s pulped paper. If your really stuck and can`t find anything half decent, shred a lot of plain paper (not glossy or photographic paper) and chop this up into a thick layer for the floor of the cage and as nesting material, use only plain, cheap white toilet paper and rip this up into confetti sized pieces.

Diet should be a good maintenance hamster mix. Burgess Dwarf mix in the UK is a popular choice, but if you are elsewhere, you need to be sure you are feeding him a good balanced diet. He should also benefit from a very small amount of fresh, raw vegetables like broccoli, garden peas, carrot and see if he likes these. Only offer pieces about 5mm in diameter if he`s never had fresh vegetables before as fresh food suddenly can cause tummy upset in some hamsters if fed too much, too often.

I would also remove the sand bath. Sand can dry his skin, so his fur needs protecting right now from any drying/irritants.

You don`t need to remove the corn or anything else from his diet as Roborovski hamsters are not prone to diabetes like Russian hybrids and Chinese hamsters can be, but even they need a certain amount of natural sugars, so please put that corn element back in as corn is nutritious and he could be requiring a boost in nutrition and vitamins if his diet is lacking and his environment needs making better.

If you make these changes, it should make some difference for him. You may not see any immediate change in his fur, but switching the substrate, adding to his diet and removing the sand should be beneficial. x

[Jaimie28]

Racing hamster thank you so much. I will try to get a better bedding as in malaysia we don't really have much choices.but in the meanwhile I guess toilet papers and papers seems like the best choice. And I've removed the sand bath as well. I'll continue monitoring him for the next month and hope everything will be alright. Again, thanks for your help^^

[racinghamster]

No, thanks for listening Jaimie. It`s great that you are listening and it can only help your little roborovski. They can be prone to hair/skin loss issues later on in life but because you mentioned the scented shavings, the sand bath and perhaps the diet may need adding to, once these are resolved, your little friend will be much happier. :) It`s better to address these now than ignore it and his condition worsens or isn`t given the chance to heal.

Let us know how he is and if you need any further advice, just shout. x